Movie Review Thread: The Remake

[Reply #40 on:]

Control room

This movie really makes you think. It's really sad too. If you like Micheal Moore's 9/11 movie you would like this.A

[Reply #41 on:]

Team America: World Police

When I first saw the trailers to Team America, I was both excited and... well, a little disappointed really. The puppets and the scenery all looked awesome, but the trailer made it look as if it lacked in the humour department. Not to mention some of the reviews I've read that also said the same thing. Luckily, when I saw the movie, I was pleasantly surprised at just how funny it was. I started laughing during that utterly stupid fight scene about 3 minutes into it, and then couldn't stop for the rest of the movie.

The great thing about this movie is that even though a lot of the jokes are simply "look at how crappy the puppets are" humour, running gags like these never got old for me. Whenever the puppets walked somewhere, it was still just as funny as it was the first time they did it. I also enjoyed the jokes about the puppet's size, too (such as them using real-life kittens as panthers & dubbing them over with roaring noises, or Gary driving down a real-life road and being tiny in comparison to everything). I think that only Matt Stone & Trey Parker could've pulled off humour like this.

At times, however, I felt that there were some lost opportunities for jokes. The Michael Moore puppet really could've been put to MUCH better use, and I actually felt that Gary's blowjob scene wasn't dirty ENOUGH. I mean, you didn't see anything overly disgusting then, you didn't hear any sucking noises - and when Gary came back up, he didn't even have cum on his face (which is what I was expecting to happen)! Why would you go and do a scene like that and not make it as filthy as possible?

Still, there were plenty of other inappropriate things for puppets to do that kept me amused - Gary's vomiting scene had me laughing with tears in my eyes, it's easily my favourite scene in the movie. Also loved the over-the-top puppet violence, and Gary and Lisa's sex scene was so ridiculous, you just had to laugh at it. Sadly, we got the censored version down here, but it was still pretty funny, particularly in the shots where you could TELL the puppets had no genitals.

The movie did seem to get a little carried away with making fun of celebrities during the last quarter, too - and as funny as some of the stuff that happened was, I felt that it dragged on a little bit. However, the celebrity puppets looked great, and anyone who didn't laugh once at the Matt Damon puppet has no soul. 

The songs weren't as good as songs from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, although I did enjoy America, Fuck Yeah (I also liked the different versions of it, such as the sad version after Gary quits). One problem I had with the movie is that some of the scenes didn't flow into eachother very well. A lot of scenes felt like they really should've faded out or something, but ended up just cutting directly to the next scene (this was particularly annoying when it did this while a song was still playing). Other than that, this movie did have a surprisingly professional feel to it, and I loved the social commentary. It's actually kinda sad when you consider that the "dicks, assholes and pussies" speech is one of the most politcally accurate speeches I've ever heard in a movie... I also loved the terrorists, how they'd just speak jibberish and throw in the words "Mohammed" and "Allah". Did anyone else notice that one of the terrorists also threw in the words "Muhammad Ali" during the plane fight scene too? 

Overall, an incredibly funny movie, and even better than South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Trey Parker's best movie to date - EVERYONE needs to go see this.

A

[Reply #42 on:]

Team America: World Police
Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. The puppets, so incredibly bad, Gary's disguise, Kim Jong Il, the explosions...
Basically, takes out everybody on both the Left and the Right. Not perfect, and some scenes went for too long, but still great.
Best scenes:
 - Gary's "signal"
 - Kim Jong Il's escape
 - The fight scenes between the actors and Team America
 - The suicide device (A hammer)
A+

[Reply #43 on:]

Team America: World Police

Have to agree with everyone's reviews so far, especially Beamers.  Paticularly loved the songs, especially "Pearl Harbor Sucks, And I Miss You".

A

[Reply #44 on:]

And just to add some negativity to the thread:

Team America: World Police

Started with one funny gag, that made me laugh(the little french boy was funny), and then suddenly turned painfully unfunny.

I walked out in the middle of it and asked for a refund. First time I've ever done that. True story.

[Reply #45 on:]

Refunds, FUCK YEAH!
Seriously though, you're the first person besides pompus reviewer types whom I've talked to that hasn't liked it.

[Reply #46 on:]

 

Originally posted by newhook_1:
Refunds, FUCK YEAH!
Seriously though, you're the first person besides pompus reviewer types whom I've talked to that hasn't liked it.

Many people in other movie forums that I go to thought it was pretty bad too. Some really liked it though. From Beamer's description of "funny" things above I have to say that it sounds pretty stupid.

And speaking of political movies, I also saw Three Kings last night. Great movie with good performances, excelllent cinematography and editing, and a very intelligent and exciting screenplay.

[Reply #47 on:]

Yeah, well, quite frankly alot of the jokes were stupid. I think a mutaited, mentally retarded, hobbit who's addicted to the power of a ring sounds pretty stupid, but I loved the Lord of The Rings movies. It's all in the execution. In Team America's case, it's exaggerated nature, and humorous twists on action movie conventions are what makes the jokes work for most people who liked it.

[Reply #48 on:]

 

Originally posted by newhook_1:
Yeah, well, quite frankly alot of the jokes were stupid. I think a mutaited, mentally retarded, hobbit who's addicted to the power of a ring sounds pretty stupid, but I loved the Lord of The Rings movies. It's all in the execution. In Team America's case, it's exaggerated nature, and humorous twists on action movie conventions are what makes the jokes work for most people who liked it.

That's what I thought. In my case, I enjoy this kind of humor for the duration of the movie but after it ends nothing strikes as too memorable. But maybe this'll be different. I haven't seen it. Probably people dislike it because of the kind of humor. My favorite kind of humor is kinda subtle and sarcastic with deadpan delivery. Bill Murray is great for that. But many people hate that. It depends on the person like everything.

[Reply #49 on:]

I, Robot

I enjoyed it, pretty solid. Love the visuals, and the Robots. Slightly confusing in places, and wasn't too keen on any of the other actors aside from Will Smith. Reminded me in places of Terminator 2 and The Matrix, but not as good. Nice ideas and twists though. Loved that Audi too!...

B

[Reply #50 on:]

Hero
Good, pretty movie, even if it did seem a lot like "Crouching Tiger II"

The plot, such as it was, was interesting. Of course the real reason to watch the movie is either for the fighting or the prettiness. or Zhang Ziyi :swoon:

[Reply #51 on:]

Ah, good to see I'm not the only one with a thing for tiny Chinese girls.

[Reply #52 on:]

National Treasure
Masonic propaganda? Or the best new movie I've seen in ages. I don't think it was that good, but I liked it anyway. I like those crazy crappy movies. And the girl was hot.
B+

[Reply #53 on:]

VF: :swoon: Whattya mean :swoon:?!?
Where's your lesbianity and saying something like:
"*humps Zhang Ziyi with imaginary penis*"...

Hero kicked ass, whens that House of The Flying Daggers coming to my local cinema?

[Reply #54 on:]

 

Originally posted by ~FazeShift~:
VF: :swoon: Whattya mean :swoon:?!?
Where's your lesbianity and saying something like:
"*humps Zhang Ziyi with imaginary penis*"...

Hero kicked ass, whens that House of The Flying Daggers coming to my local cinema?

She's a delicate flower. I'm not gonna hump her and if I did I'd at least buy a strap on or something, geeze! What kind of half-assed fake bisexual do you think I am?

Flying Daggers is out now in select cities. That means, if your town is anything like mine, that it's never coming there, not even on video, because Jesus hates you.

[Reply #55 on:]

From my review on the boards of Coming Soon:

WARNING: It's a very in depth review.

The Incredibles

I saw this film on opening weekend and it has taken me weeks just to recoup my thoughts about this movie. My expectations for this film wasn't as high as many other people, but high nontheless. The previews did nothing for me, but the premise was the only thing that had me excited. I was skeptical about Pixar doing human characters, but I warmed to the idea in the previews. When the hype machine started to come in, with many great reviews, my expectations went up, but still at a level which wouldn't be impossibly high for a movie of this magnitude.

When the release date finally came around, I got my ticket, and stood in line for a half hour and sat down in the theater, wondering what creation Pixar has made. Unlike some people, I didn't get the Star Wars trailer, but I didn't care because I saw it on the internet 2 days earlier. Then the Short started, and I wasn't impressed. Nice moral, but that's it. Then the movie finally started. When It finally started, a strange feeling surged though my stomach, that I rarely felt before, the feeling of "You're going to love this movie.". My gut was right. VERY right indeed.

The one thing that surprised me was the characters. They were all so well developed and thought out. One thing I loved was the difference between Dash and Violet. Dash was someone who wasn't ashamed of his powers and used them almost everyday. Violet was the opposite, she didn't like being who she was and just wanted to be normal. Bob(AKA Mr. Incredible) struck me as the normal everyday man who just happened to not be normal. Helen(AKA Elastigirl) was a mother who still longs to be back in the superhero buisiness, yet she doesn't show it as much as Bob does. I was expecting some disfunctional family comedy, but got what maybe the most normal family ever captured on screen. They just all happen to have superpowers.

The film already had me sucked in from frame one. I loved how dark it was from other Pixar movies and focused more on the family storyline rather than go to excessive comedy routines that other Pixar films are known for. The visuals are, in word, beautiful, the characters are filled with life. Their facial expressions are top notch and the hair(Especially Violet's) is utterly fantastic. The character models are wonderful(even though I was getting a Paris Hilton vibe from Mirage). The action scenes, what can I say that hasn't been said yet. WOW, just WOW. This is when I knew that Pixar has knocked this one out of the park. Wait, scratch that. They knocked this one out of Dodger Stadium.

When Dash finally gets to show off his super powers, I was sank into my seat as if the theater was going as fast as he was. The part when he discovered he could run on water, his reaction is probably one of the best cinematic moments in history. Violet finally gets her moment to shine to, when she deals with the fact that she isn't a normal teenager and never will be. She puts on that mask with pride and that sold the character for me. Elastigirl has one of the films best moments when she attempts to take a guards security card, but get stuck in not one, but three doors. It had me laughing in my seat. By the way, the kid on the big wheel tricycle has got to be, the single greatest running gag in history. By the time the film was over, I wanted a sequel, and badly.

It a rarity when I come out of a movie just simply loving the hell out of it. Everytime I tell my friends about it, they basically tell me that I "Love this film too much.". Maybe I do, but do I care what other people think? Sometimes, but not in this case. "The Incredibles" is hands down, the greatest film of the year. The polls are closed and no other film will take it's place. Not only that, it's also the Best Superhero film ever, period. Better than Superman, better than Spider-Man 2. This is a film truely worthy of a Best Picture nomination, and I'm glad Disney is pushing for one. No other film deserves it more than "The Incredibles".

20 out of 10.

Translates to: A++++

Ps. The credits are also wonderful. Has a very 3D look to it. Just thought you should know.

Ps. Saw it again a week afterwards. Seriously, you're not going to find a better movie this year.

[Reply #56 on:]

Napolean Dynamite
Two movies in two days, and this one was great. Had a train trip, a tram trip and a long trek through the rain to get to the cinema, but it was definatly worth it. A great movie.
A

[Reply #57 on:]

Hey spacepilot, I like how you tell us what movie you're reviewing.

[Reply #58 on:]

Sorry about that. Now it's corrected. Love your sarcasm.

[Reply #59 on:]

If you're going to try to talk to Nix, you'd better.

[Reply #60 on:]

Unless he was being sarcastic... 

[Reply #61 on:]

This also raises the possibility that I, too, was being sarcastic...

WHEN WILL THE LIES END?!

[Reply #62 on:]

The Polar Express

Saw this yesterday. It was a fun movie. The animation was great except for the facial expressions of some of the characters. There are some exciting scenes involving the train and there is enough visual creativity to keep your attention. Like I said, this is a fun holiday movie. Recommended if you're in the mood.

[Reply #63 on:]

What's this Napoleon Dynamite about?

[Reply #64 on:]

It's a film about these two guys who travel back in time in a phone booth and give Napoleon dynamite.  History changes and stuff, but everything turns out cool in the end.

[Reply #65 on:]

Phantom of the Opera

I remember seeing the stage show back in 1998 and loving it, so I had to go and see the film version. All in all, it was a damn good movie, the staging was superb and I loved the costumes and of course the music. The Phantom was great, very sinister. However I found lacked that little spark that you get when seeing live music.

A-

[Reply #66 on:]

I saw another movie today. It's the summer holidays, what do you expect...

Ocean's Twelve
It was great. I'm not sure about the whole Julia Roberts thing. Very... peculiar. But I guess it worked. Anyway, it was enjoyable.
A

[Reply #67 on:]

 

Originally posted by bankrupt:
It's a film about these two guys who travel back in time in a phone booth and give Napoleon dynamite.  History changes and stuff, but everything turns out cool in the end.

Wait, I thought that was Bill & Ted's Excellent adventure?

[Reply #68 on:]

He forgot to mention Keneau Reeves the word whorage.

I did a PEEL comic parody of Bill and Ted, but it sucked which was most appropiate.

[Reply #69 on:]

A.I.
It's a good movie, but could have been much better. The style it was done in wasn't really my taste, although I did love some of the robot designs. The boy actor was great, but depressing. Actually, the whole film was pretty depressing, and very sad at the end. I didn't really enjoy it, but it was well made (until the alien part)
C-

Lilo & Stitch
This was better than I thought it would be, I loved the Sci-fi elements, and Stitch was pretty funny. Really nice watercolor backgrounds, and reasonable storyline. Ended quite nicely, slightly forced perhaps. Not classic Disney, actually it didn't really feel much like Disney, but it's not bad either...
B-

Princess Mononoke
This is the first anime movie I've seen, and I thought the animation and backgrounds were amazing. I loved how the animals were portrayed when they turned into demons, very effective visually. The story was interesting, because there were no real good or bad guys, it was more about human conflict, and consequnce. Some bits were a bit unclear to me, and I didn't love it, I liked it though. Also, those little forest spirit guys were awesome...
B

[Reply #70 on:]

I saw Big Fish a while ago, and I really liked it.  It was melodramatic hooey, but I like it more and more the more I think about it.  At the risk of some oblique spoilers, the film is about a guy who feels like he never got to know his 'real' father because the guy turned his whole life into fantastical stories.  But he realizes ultimately that even if the stories aren't literally true, they are his real father.  Because that's what's going on in the man's head, reality being incidental.  It's like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  The stories are definitive; reality is frequently inaccurate. 

This premise shows me that at least someone understands the world the way I see it.  'Reality' is a speculative and indefinable chimera, whereas the unreal shit that goes on in our heads is the only thing we have direct experience of.  This ought to tell you which one is more important.  It's like William Blake said: "He who does not imagine in stronger and better lineaments, and in stronger and better light than his perishing mortal eye can see, does not imagine at all."

So if you dig on this philosophy, go and watch the hell out of Big Fish.

[Reply #71 on:]

Otis: Watch Grave of The Fireflies too, it's awesome.

[Reply #72 on:]

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Excellent film, something very Tim Burtonish about it I thought.
The sets in each new scene were wonderfully exciting, and well designed.
Jim Carrey playing an extroverted evil-doing actor was brilliant, so entertaining.
The two and a half kids were great too, I was very impressed by the young'uns, and even the little baby girl had some great moments, she even had the  biggest laugh in the cinema: "O-kaayy"! 
There was also Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep playing wonderful characters in their respective scenes (and great sets). Dustin Hoffman even made a cameo.

Whacky, fun, nice visual style and laughs,
Excellent. A

[Reply #73 on:]

 

Originally posted by ~FazeShift~:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Excellent film, something very Tim Burtonish about it I thought.

That's because half of the crew has worked with Burton. In fact, if Elfman would have composed the music and if Depp would have played Count Olaf then it would had been a Burton movie basically.

[Reply #74 on:]

Aha, maybe they should try other styles! 
Can't fool the Fazemeister.

[Reply #75 on:]

Finding Neverland
I finally got around to seeing this, and wow, it was fantastic. Highly reccomended.

A

[Reply #76 on:]

 

Originally posted by Mr. Potter:
 That's because half of the crew has worked with Burton. In fact, if Elfman would have composed the music and if Depp would have played Count Olaf then it would had been a Burton movie basically.

I haven't seen the movie, but from what I've seen in the previews, it looks like the part of Count Olaf was written for Christopher Lloyd to play.  In fact, it looks like they couldn't get Christopher Lloyd, so they just got Jim Carrey and told him to act like Christopher Lloyd.

[Reply #77 on:]

Miracle on 34th Street (1994 Remake)
This movie can be summed up in one word: Aaaaw.
It's one of those really corny feel good movies that you can't help but smile at.
  A

[Reply #78 on:]

The Incredibles

As everyone else said, it's great! I don't know what else to say...

A

That sheep video before the movie, though, was just... weird.

[Reply #79 on:]

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

I'm going to play it straight: this movie was pretty wierd.  It's sort of set in a land you presume is the United States somewhere between the 1950's and the 1990's.  In this way it had sort of a Middle-Earth charm and didn't require a lot of  messy, extraneous explanations.  I left the theater feeling like there had been some sort of grand substory that I had missed or, more appropriately, had been left untold, but I suppose that is the curse of all books that are made into movies.

Acting was solid on all counts, as were the special effects.  I almost didn't recognize Mr. Poe as the same guy who played Peter Pettigrew in the latest Harry Potter movie.

On a personal note, the line, "I'm sorry, I don't speak monkey," made me laugh, as that is a common thing we say at work when someone is speaking unintelligibly over the radio.  It's not said over the radio, naturally, but it's said a lot when the mic isn't keyed.

Overall, I'd give the film 4.5 of 8 stars.